by Jac Coyne | MCLA.us

LA CROSSE, Wis. – If you’re traveling to Minot, N.D., in late February, odds are it has something to do with the eponymous U.S. Air Force base located north of the city. With temperatures typically hovering well below zero, there’s not much else happening in the state’s fourth largest burg.

Unless it’s this weekend, when Magic City becomes the epicenter of MCLA Division II.

From the west comes No. 8 Montana and No. 4 Montana State while the east produces No. 3 St. Thomas and No. 14 Minn.-Duluth for a two-day, four-game set at Herbert M. Parker Stadium on the campus of Minot State University.

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So how did this event, which is in its third year, come about?

“Why not Minot? That's been our joke since starting this annual neutral-site meeting,” chuckled Montana coach Tucker Sargent, the architect of this most unlikely meet up. “Truthfully, it's the only domed field between Montana and Minnesota that is sort of in the middle.

“I just started looking at Google maps, zooming in on towns that looked like they had a decent size population to see if I could find a turf field. Minot State answered the call and they put a bubble over their field for the winter. So, why not Minot?”

“This helps everyone avoid making the full bus trip every other year,” added St. Thomas coach Jason King, who is bringing the Tommies to the event for the third time.

Like a lot of two-day regular season matchups against ranked teams, this event provides all four squads the opportunity to simulate the Monday-Tuesday grind of the MCLA National Championships presented by New Balance. From logistics, itineraries, game-planning all the way to recovery, this can be a low-risk dry run for what awaits in Round Rock.

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— 2024 MCLA National Tourney (@MCLA_Tournament) February 19, 2024

“These early games are all about learning about our own squad so we can make the proper adjustments for when it matters most,” said King. “We will take away many lessons from this weekend to help us with the remainder of the season.”

There is also the advantage of seeing two different types of teams, which will undoubtedly happen in May over the course of a potential championship run.

“St. Thomas is typically pretty regimented and disciplined and doesn't make a lot of mistakes,” Sargent said. “They force you to try to play a pretty clean game or you pay for your errors. Duluth seems to play with a little more chaos, which can be equally difficult and you have to learn as a team how to respond to guys flying all over the field.”

“Both teams are extremely well-coached and disciplined every year,” said King. “The Montana schools bring a different size and physicality compared to others, which present different challenges.”

Unlike last year, there could be more distractions for the teams. It was -15 when the squads rolled into town, which put a damper on any scenic tours of the area. This year it is expected to be in the 50s, so a whole cornucopia of options may open up in front of the players.

Regardless of the weather, the Grizzlies coaching staff isn’t afraid of taking in a little bit of the local color.

“They have a pretty solid Mexican restaurant that serves giant margaritas,” Sargent said. “We called an Uber and got picked up in an F-350 crew cab long bed diesel. That was neat. Not your typical Uber vehicle.”

What is the MCLA Division I Game of the Week for the period ending Feb. 25? #mcla24
— 2024 MCLA National Tourney (@MCLA_Tournament) February 19, 2024

It’s likely that all of the student-athletes will stick around the hotel pool and rooms, taking care of business at the beginning of a season that holds a lot of promise for all four teams.

“Down time for us consists of rest, recovery, film and schoolwork,” King said. “We have not done a lot of exploring of the ‘Magic City’ of Minot, so I can’t speak too much to it, but has a very small-town vibe.”

You’d think the addition of a 20-plus hour round-trip bus excursion would make Minot a non-starter, and both coaches admit to some drawbacks. After 18 years of bus trips, Sargent’s lower back tends to get a little testy a couple of hours in. King knows that one sick player boarding the bus has the potential to wipe out two midfield lines by game time.

The teams – and the town – are able to make it work for everyone involved.

“Honestly, we make it fun,” Sargent said. “Guys get to know each other. It's kind of the central thing that bonds us. We play some fun bus games, we have a pretty kicking sound system on it that I invested in several years ago that includes eight, club-quality speakers and a huge kicker. Whatever the musique du jour is, you bet we can make it thump.”

Said King: “In the end, the road trips are the best part of the season!”

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GAMES I’M FOLLOWING

No. 10 Simon Fraser at No. 18 California, 7 p.m. – Friday
Our good friends North of the Border are heading south, one of the sure signs that spring is just around the corner. And in its usual economical fashion, Fraser is cramming three games into a three-day trip, starting with the Golden Bears. Cal is a relatively seasoned team having played a pair of Top 15 teams already and rookie Nate Fredericks is looking like a breakout star. Without Riley Isaacs and Jordan Roberts, the Red Leafs will have a new look, but likely plenty of talent.

No. 12 Georgia at No. 13 Florida, 7 p.m. – Friday
Each of these SELC stalwarts entered the season as Top 10 squads, but now both are saddled with a pair of losses and losing ground in the polls. We’re not anywhere near “must win” territory considering the strength of the SELC, but there might be a little angst in the air. I’m thinking a one-goal game, perhaps extra time.

No. 4 South Carolina at No. 1 Virginia Tech, 7 p.m. – Friday
Last year, Virginia Tech entered this meeting running hot with a 9-1 record while South Carolina was on a seven-game losing skid. So, of course, the Gamecocks won, 14-10. Both teams are out of the gates quickly this spring and are looking quite formidable. I could see it going several different ways, but definitely a must-follow contest.

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Colorado at Grand Canyon, 12 p.m. – Saturday
Seems like yesterday when these two were playing in the national championship game (it was actually a decade ago), and now they’re both out of the Top 25. Your luck can change just that quick in this league. The Buffaloes and Lopes need to make a run to get back in the nationals discussion, and it’ll start here for one of them.

No. 25 Auburn at No. 14 Arizona State, 2 p.m. – Saturday
The Sun Devils better be on high alert because this isn’t your father’s Auburn squad. The Tigers are fully legit and can run with just about everyone. Aidan Shah gives ASU a premium goaltender and he’ll need to be sharp. This is a big opportunity for Auburn.

No. 8 Montana vs. No. 14 Minn.-Duluth, 9 a.m. – Sunday
A nice eye-opener to start your Sunday. This will be the second game in as many days for both squads and a short turnaround will test their depth. Duluth has played three games coming into the weekend, and the defense looks like it will be the Bulldogs strength. This will be just the second game of the season for the Griz – they play St. Thomas on Saturday – so we’ll just be getting a feel for the UM squad.

Washington at Boise State, 12 p.m. – Sunday
The race for the PNCLL-I crown once again has the potential to be one of the more entertaining watches this season. The Huskies and Broncos open the conference slate in the City of Trees in this Sunday matinee. Boise is two years removed from a nationals trip while Washington is sitting on 22 seasons since its last visit to the big dance. Winner is in a great spot for a quality seed in the conference playoffs.

No. 4 Montana State vs. No. 3 St. Thomas, 12 p.m. – Sunday
This is the gem of the weekend in the junior circuit. The Bobcats were impressive during their undefeated run at the Rocky Mountain Rumble, led by Warrior Player of the Week Liam Prescott. St. Thomas has been on a two-week siesta after dispatching Iowa State and Minnesota to start the season. The Tommies won a 9-5 grinder in Minot last year and I’d expect this one to stay in the single-digits, as well.

Chapman at UC Santa Barbara, 1 p.m. – Sunday
A SoCal classic, whether it’s in the same conference or, as it is now, being non-conference opponents. The Panthers will be returning from their Saturday game against Cal Poly when they stop by Isla Vista while the Gauchos will be rested and ready. UCSB has been playing some quality defense to start the season, but will get a major test against Chapman.

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SLIDES & RIDES
- The first installment of the weekly polls shook out like I think most people expected. In Division II, Air Force got credit from half the pollsters for its big opening weekend while the other half of the electorate gave Dayton the benefit of the doubt until they take the field. Perfectly reasonable. My instinct is that Kennesaw State might be slightly undervalued at this point, but its tough making an argument that they should be ahead of any of the teams the Owls currently trail.

Virginia Tech is not showing any weaknesses right now, and are an easy No. 1. South Carolina got its deserved bump from the preseason, setting up this weekend's tasty matchup. We’ll have to wait until its California trip to get a true read on Texas. I might have had San Diego State higher, but the Aztecs have plenty of games left to prove themselves.

- Utah Valley finally uncorks the ’24 campaign this weekend with a trip to Boise to play the Broncos and Washington. It will be a nice test for a Wolverines squad with high expectations…UVU’s neighbor, Brigham Young, is still a week out from its first games of the season…Rhode Island still has another week until they lift the lid on the season, as well.

- If you have a minute and the desire, help out the Cal program with it's open petition to the administration to get them back to where they once were with the Rec Sports department.

- Nominations from head coaches for the PEARL Goalie of the Week and Warrior Player of the Week are due by noon on Monday to [email protected]. We’re also taking nominations for Lacrosse Specialties Player of the Month, so start amassing stats for your preferred candidate and submit his numbers when the last game of the month is played.